It’s book club in the summertime, and in the past sometimes that’s meant short stories or children’s books or novellas. This year it means nonfiction about unpleasant topics. Plus a small dose of time travel.
Kidnapped: The Tragic Life of J. Paul Getty III by Charles Fox
Discussibility Score: 3
Because: While none of us liked this book, and all of us were frustrated by its style and structure and the intrusion of the author all over the place, we had a reasonably spirited discussion of how much it irritated us.
The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier
Discussibility Score: 4
Because: Yowser, the discussion! The key point: Was this book a time travel story or a cautionary tale about the psychedelic drug scene of the 1960s? This part of the conversation was extremely lively and thought-provoking. While we adored Rebecca, this book didn’t do it for us. (I flat-out despised it.) But the discussion made the reading displeasure worthwhile.
This weekend we meet to discuss The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride by Daniel James Brown. And man, do I have thoughts about this one… Stay tuned.
In the meantime, for more book club goodness, check out the Unruly Book Club Central for a list of our most discussible books ever.
And please tell me… What books have you read lately that you’re aching to discuss with someone?
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